The Coalition has overtaken Labor for the first time since winning the 2022 election, just days before a key by-election in the Melbourne seat of Dunkley, according to the latest polls.
Polling conducted by Resolve Political Monitor for the Sydney Morning Herald showed Labor’s primary vote has fallen by one point since December from 35 to 34 percent, while the Coalition gained ground from 34 percent to 37 percent.
While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was still seven points ahead of opposition leader Peter Dutton (39 to 32 percent) as preferred prime minister, the margin was also the lowest since Labor returned to power.
It comes as a newly engaged Albanian spent Friday night at Taylor Swift’s concert before flying to Melbourne the next day to attend a private concert by another American pop star Katy Perry at billionaire Anthony Pratt’s mansion.
The Australian’s Sunday Newspoll results show a similarly bleak outlook for Labour.
Anthony Albanese (pictured with fiancé Jodie) that the coalition overtakes Labor for the first time since the 2022 election
The coalition’s primary vote was in favor of Labor (36 to 33 percent), with the government falling by one point.
However, Labor still retained a four-point lead on the two-party preferential voting system, 52 to 48 percent, two points higher than in the February polls.
The Newspoll results also show Albanese gaining one point as ‘better prime minister’, from 46 to 47 percent, while Dutton remained steady at 35 percent. 18 percent were not committed.
The blow comes six days after Saturday’s federal by-election in Dunkley. The seat remained vacant after Labor MP Peta Murphy died of breast cancer in December last year.
Eight candidates will run for the south-east Melbourne electorate, which was carried by Ms Murphy by a safe margin of 6.3 per cent at the 2019 election.
Frankston Mayor Nathan Conroy will contest the Liberal Party seat, while Frankston local and women’s advocate Jodie Belyea will contest for Labor to retain the electorate.
During a visit to the electorate on Sunday to launch Ms Belyea’s campaign, the Prime Minister touted the government’s cost-of-living relief as changes to the third tax cut, The Australian reports.
He took the opportunity to criticize the coalition for rebuffing their threats to fight reforms.
“What we got from the coalition in the first place, from Peter Dutton, is that they said they would oppose it and fight it. Then they said they would reverse it. Then they said we should go to full federal elections based on our commitment that we made, and then they changed their minds again and didn’t vote against it in parliament,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese still has a seven-point lead over opposition leader Peter Dutton (photo) as preferred prime minister.
This Saturday’s by-election will decide a new MP to represent the electorate of Dunkley in Melbourne’s south-east. The photo shows the late MP Peta Murphy
In February, a Newspoll revealed that 62 percent of voters supported Labour’s phase three tax cuts, which shifted aid to those on low incomes, despite only 38 percent of respondents believing they would benefit from the changes.
Labor will spend the week fighting cost-of-living fires on multiple fronts as Parliament returns to office, as the government prepares to implement its new tax cuts against the backdrop of a new housing battle.
While the changes to the Stage 3 tax cuts will be the focus of the Senate this week, debate on the government’s proposed ‘Help to Buy’ scheme will resume in the House of Commons this week.
If the shared equity scheme is adopted, more than 40,000 Australians could own their first home with the government, requiring just two per cent of the deposit.
The government says it is a crucial part of Labour’s wider housing agenda, but is staring down the Coalition and the Greens.